One of the most important impediments to long term peace between Israel and the Palestinians is the Palestinian Authority's refusal to recognize Israel's right to exist - and its teaching, especially children, that all of Israel is "occupied" land. As Palestinian Media Watch has reported, part of Israel is said to have been "occupied" since 1948 during the "Nakba" or "catastrophe," the term Palestinians use to delegitimize Israel's establishment. The rest, the PA says, was occupied in 1967 during the Six-Day War. All of Israel's existence is said to be an "occupation" and illegitimate.

A recent PA TV children's program cited Israeli expropriation of land in the Galilee in 1976 as the source for Palestinian protests on what Palestinians call "Land Day." The PA TV host referred to the Galilee, part of Israel since its establishment in 1948, as “occupied lands” and “land occupied after 1948”:

PA TV host: "On March 30, dear friends, in 1976, Israeli occupation forces confiscated a region - in other words, thousands of dunams of land in the Galilee (northern Israel), the occupied lands, that is, land occupied after 1948."

Official PA TV children's educational programs consistently present all of Israel as "occupied":

PA TV host: "We're on a trip in the 1948 lands. On our right is Baqa Al-Gharbiya (village in Israel) , the land [home] of many friends of our program. We're on our way [to see] many beautiful areas so that you can get to know them and see how beautiful our land is, and how many beautiful places it has -- beautiful villages and cities. We're in the north of the occupied lands, the 1948 lands (Israel), on the Lebanese border."Israeli-Arab tour guide: "We're now at the Golan Heights border (inside Israel). We are at the exact border between Palestine and Syria."

TV host to girl: "You live in Jerusalem. Do you visit the 1948 occupied cities (Israeli cities)?"Girl (Lujayn): "I've been to Hebron."TV host: "No, Hebron is a city [in the Palestinian Authority] that we all can
enter. The occupied cities - such as Lod, Ramle, Haifa, Jaffa, Acre (all Israeli
cities) - have you visited them?"Girl: "I've been to Haifa and Jaffa."TV host: "We hope all children of Palestine will be able to go to the occupied
territories, which we don't know and have never been able to see. Personally, I have never been there."

PA TV host to kids: "Soon, if it works out, we will be among you [Israeli Arabs] in the 1948 territories [i.e. Israel] the occupied territories. Our friends from the 1948 territories - the occupied territories - they write wanting us [to broadcast] there with them. Many of them have come here, trying to be friends [of the program] and they are truly dear friends and regular [viewers]. There are also [some] from Lod [Israeli city] and also Ahmad from Nazareth [Israeli city] and there are so many. There's Adnan from Be'er Sheva [Israeli city]. Dear [Israeli Arab] children: We will definitely always remain in contact with you, because you have the right, and this program is definitely yours too, just as it belongs to every Palestinian child, since you are part of occupied Palestine."